The broader context of institutional change in African

Universities

A B Temu

LET US VIEW FROM THE MOUNTAIN TOP!

LET US VIEW FROM THE MOUNTAIN TOP!

Trade, Environment and sustainable NRM

Trade, Environment and sustainable NRM

• Africa accounts for just 2% of global trade volume. Most of this is from agricultural and natural resource products

• The near-stagnant productivity in Africa is a result of ‘mining’ of soils forests and water resources

• Africa’s biodiversity is at great risk due to unsustainable harvesting practices and inadequate capacity to address the issue, both on farmland and in natural ecosystems

The European Consensus Nov 2005 wants to ‘Halt biodiversity loss and promote biosafety and sustainable management of biodiversity’

Africa’s weak economy reflects largely…

– stagnant agriculture – production, value adding, stagnant agriculture – production, value adding, marketing….marketing….

– Ineffective agricultural infrastructure and institutionsIneffective agricultural infrastructure and institutions– Weak and ineffective investment in agricultural Weak and ineffective investment in agricultural

education, research and innovationeducation, research and innovation– Unrealistic working conditions for the academia, Unrealistic working conditions for the academia,

resulting in crippling brain drain or malaiseresulting in crippling brain drain or malaise• African universities teaching agric and NRM have African universities teaching agric and NRM have up toup to

38% of national research capacity38% of national research capacity, but it is poorly used , but it is poorly used and targeted.and targeted.

Drying land: threat to livelihoodsDrying land: threat to livelihoods

The hunger sweeping so many African countries is exacerbated by 4 main factors:

a) climate change b) creeping land degradation and

desertification, andc) inadequate risk mitigation strategies (e.g.

lack of strategic food reserves)d) Declining farm labour (due to HIV

prevalence and rural to urban migration)

Failing crops

Multi-dimensional aspects of Poverty Eradication

Multi-dimensional aspects of Poverty Eradication

‘Combating poverty will only be successful if equal importance is given to investing in people (first and foremost in health and education and HIV/AIDS, the protection of natural resources (like forests, water, marine resources and soil) to secure rural livelihoods, and investing in wealth creation ‘

- The European Consensus Nov 2005

‘Combating poverty will only be successful if equal importance is given to investing in people (first and foremost in health and education and HIV/AIDS, the protection of natural resources (like forests, water, marine resources and soil) to secure rural livelihoods, and investing in wealth creation ‘

- The European Consensus Nov 2005

Multi dimensional solutionsMulti dimensional solutions

• Policy reforms• Transformation of African institutions• Human resource capacity to drive the

change• Partnerships and Links to sources of

knowledgeHuman and institutional capacity are fundamental considerations for sustainability of any interventions

A multi-pronged transformation process

Gap analysis and awareness

creation

Faculty attitudinal

change

Institutional Institutional resources resources

and and innovationinnovation

Policy

reviews

Political commitment

Improved learning

Curricula

changes

Effective education & graduates

Multi--Stakeholder participation (all

levels)

Disturbing facts - agricultureDisturbing facts - agriculture

• Although women play a major role in agriculture, they constitute only 12-15% of college and university students in agric sciences

• The curricula and learning materials are generally focused on production only and are far removed from the context

• Agric graduates are trained to be employed, not to develop agric enterprises

• In many cases, the students did not select agric education in the first place

• Parents use scarce resources to educate children so that they can exit farming!

Who is learning what?

50

Investing in mindsInvesting in minds

• To stimulate a coherent and strategic approach through support to high-quality tertiary education capacity

• Understanding links: Agriculture, forestry and environment are very closely linked

• A life-long strategy for support to education, research, access to and transfer of knowledge

- EU strategy for Africa Oct 2005

The big pictureThe big picture

1. Links between education and livelihoods are weak. The general public does not relate positively with Science and Technology. Until S &T actively improve and sustain livelihoods, this will not change.

2. Redeeming Africa from poverty, ignorance and disease requires more than science and specific technologies. Major forms of societal transformation are essentialInvesting effectively and efficiently in S &T for development is still largely unguided

The big picture..The big picture..

3. African content in existing science and technology is weak (innovations or adaptations)

4. Working institutions are needed, plus effective collaboration among institutions and countries is a necessity

5. Possession of natural resources is probably not as important as having the knowledge and skills and technologies to tap resources and convert them into assets for development

Thee case ofAgricultural education

Thee case ofAgricultural education

The number of universities teaching agricultural sciences have increased substantially (87 in 2002) but funding has not kept up, resulting in:

– Inadequate teaching and research resources

– Low staff establishment levels and skewed age distribution (few young scientists)

– Erosion of talent due to brain drain, exacerbated by HIV/AIDS

– Teaching staff spread their efforts too thin on too many activities, some irrelevant to their mandates(Internal brain drain, in search of survival)

– Inadequate facilities for practical training

Who are the future farmers of Africa?

Currently, most rural youth end up as unskilled farmers Currently, most rural youth end up as unskilled farmers or petty traders in agric productsor petty traders in agric products

They are poorly prepared to apply life skillsThey are poorly prepared to apply life skills

School programs can be improved to link better with School programs can be improved to link better with rural life and communitiesrural life and communities

•Education policy change

•Training teachers

•Contextualized learning

?

Do you set aside some time to reflect deeply on

the challenges of development in Africa?

Thank you !